because if you can afford to spend the money on tags for your boat every year, maintain and store it after a trip.. your probably not a knucklehead now those jet skiers.. they need a good 'why I outta' smack across the lips- they almost land in your boat if you have a v hull and you usually get two or more jumping your boats wake they're the one's that need training.. if you can't keep your boat outside the recreation buoys (even drunk) you got bigger issues! I really don't know what they would actually teach you in boating classes.. it's pretty much common sense- turn on your lights at dusk/night- stay outside the swimming bouys did I miss something? oh yeah you need a fishing license to fish, the game wardens always show up in that shasta boat right when it expires think they come from those gay bars
I disagree, because that same argument can be made toward automobiles - if you can afford the tags, and the maintenance, etc. Besides, availability of wealth doesn't necessarily mean that you will treat your car or boat responsibly.
supermonkey makes a point. just because you have money doesnt mean your not an idiot. think of trust fund babies and/or paris hilton. but i think hippoz was just trying to point out an example of the government instating more and more laws. you used to not need a licence to drive a car either... personally, i dont care about the boat licence thing. we have that law here in washington too. what i have a problem with is the half-assed manner that the licences are handed out. you take an on-line "class" from any of a selection of approved third party websites (rather than a state written exam) with the PDF containing all the answers open in front of you. i did it in about 10 minutes and i learned absolutely nothing. the only "knuckleheads" your preventing from entering the water are the ones that cant figure out how to use a computer, and those guys arent going to let a little laminated card stop them from taking their jet-ski out and getting sloshed over the weekend.
Its the point of everything is going to need a license. Mow your grass lately? Might need a license because some buffoon road his lawnmower on the highway causing an accident killing people (hypothetical). Its this line of thinking that makes dangerous. One thing that made me excited recently is that Wisconsin is passing the law to conceal carry a pistol. It does however require a class/training to do so, but how many people are going to jump through the legal system to do it? I will because I don't want to get caught, but the other half of the coin will not and more than likely never will, but they will carry anyway! Am I going to be a crazy person when I carry? No, but some loons will. Its nearly going the wrong direction as in proving that 'people' are not smart enough to carry responsibly! I give it 10-15 years before it will be amended, and more stricter then it is now. Rules are fine - its when they start impeding on my ability to be a critical thinker and they run my brain down a gutter that gets me. This BS runs all throughout all facets of 'freedoms'. And it scares the sh*t outta me that people are so willing to give it up.
Having spent two weeks in south-western USA I can tell you the place is huge. Each fast foor restaurant has parking space for at least 100 cars, there's at least 100m between each building. More shocking is how much space there is still left around each town, and why build everything into a tightly packed space when you can have all the space you want and driving is so cheap?
it's like machete down there I always wanted to find the titty twister but since it's kind of out of control in mexico nowdays.. headed towards tijuana isn't such a good idea
Out of curiosity, where all did you visit? Be interesting to see how far apart the places you're talking about are compared to other areas of the country. It's a bit OT, but another thing the US has working against it which you reminded me of by saying driving's so cheap: motorcycle usage is culturally looked at as recreational rather than practical. This one can be changed quite easily because it's based only on people's perceptions rather than physical limitations, there's plenty of availabilty and the infrastructure caters to them decently enough. For many Americans the word "motorcyclist" brings to mind biker gangs on choppers or cocky 20-somethings on liter sport bikes, the idea of average Joe riding on a comfortable, affordable and dependable bike (or scooter!) is simply unheard of. It's a shame because motorcycles are a great way for the commuter lifestyle to continue while also reducing gas usage and emissions.
There has been a decided uptick in motorcycle and scooter use here in the last 5 years. I love my scooter but unfortunately it's only a viable means of transport 6 months of the year. Also OT: I kinda miss going to Tijuana as well. Fake oakleys and Mexican bakeries Cheesecake
Riding around the SLC area on a good summer day... oh what I would give! Hopefully the growth is exponential. More riders out getting noticed, sparking interested and getting new riders increasing the number out on the road and sparking interest in even more, and so on. Manufacturers and retailers are also a big part in changing the cultural impression. In a worsening economy people are more likely to look at 50+ MPG on a sub-$10,000 vehicle and think twice about whether they really need a big SUV, the more they play up that aspect the more people will realize two wheel travel isn't just for weekend fun. As a car owner I don't have much room to talk, but just looking at the numbers shows what a good idea riding would be (and am planning on it). $120 a month on gas in a compact sedan (already better than most) could be cut down to roughly $60 a month when the weather permits. Assume riding 6 months a year and you've got $360 saved a year, pays of a scooter or commuter bike in a few years. Less selfishly it also cuts down on oil usage, not much from just one driver but over a whole country there's some big savings. Though, as always, move closer to where you work a ride a bike is even better! Again no room to talk!
motorcycles in the country are crazy. even used bikes are cost prohibitive. your looking at 2-3 times as much money for a decent bike as you can buy a cheap used car for. it would take a LOT of riding to make up that difference. id love to own a bike, but i just cant afford the initial investment. with any luck, ridership will continue to climb which should drive prices down in the long run.
My insurance on a scooter is ~130 a year and for a 2004 Mazda 3 its ~140 a month. So that's better for me.
i don't see what's so funny, i live in nj and drive in both nj and nyc on a regular basis and i can't tell you how many people i have come close to hitting with my car (i have actually run over a drunk guy one time, avoided hitting his 2 drunk friends he was with) and people have a stupid tendency to just walk across the road without looking to see if any cars are coming, especially people distracted with texting while walking. in fort lee nj, a community with a large asian population, had to enact a jay walking law prohibiting people from crossing the street without using the cross walk, fine is $50, because of all the knuckle heads that think nothing of stepping in front of a car going 25 mph at the last minute; quite a few people have been hit by a car and in all honesty it's not the drivers fault, these idiots are like squirrels, they just run right into traffic without considering the consequences. as for the guy that commented about it being easy to get a gun nothing could be further from the truth; in some states it easy very easy to get a firearm, in some states, like nj it's very difficult to get a firearm, that still doesn't stop shootings from occurring, if you really want a gun it doesn't matter how strict you make the laws people will find a way to get them, even if they have to ambush a cop and steal his. hell, if you're really intent on causing injury you could easily build a powerful bow or crossbow (i built quite a few of them) and wreck hovak.
